Emotions ran high on Saturday April 5 as Joana Deladem Yabani, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) student allegedly murdered by her boyfriend, was laid to rest under strict funeral protocols.
The burial service, held at the Jehovah Shammah Assemblies of God auditorium in Ashongman, was marked by sorrow and heavy hearts as family, friends, and sympathizers gathered to bid farewell to the young woman whose life was tragically cut short.
Attendance was high, with mourners including colleagues, schoolmates, and a host of dignitaries such as Cyril Nsiah, and the Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, George Amoh. Representatives from Joana’s alma maters — Achimota School and KNUST — were also present in large numbers to pay their last respects.
Despite the public interest in the case, media access to the final funeral rites was heavily restricted following instructions from the legal team handling the ongoing murder trial. Journalists were denied entry into the main auditorium, where the private service was held.
Following the service, Joana’s body was conveyed to her hometown of Hohoe Logba in the Volta Region for interment.
Some mourners who knew Joana through her mother remembered her as a quiet and kind young woman. Among them was Adeline Baidoo, President of the Ghana Women Forum and a lecturer at Accra Technical University, who used the occasion to speak out against domestic abuse.
“I was once in a toxic relationship,” she revealed. “I left when my husband started beating me. If I hadn’t left, I don’t know what would have happened to me by now.” She urged women to prioritize their safety and not suffer in silence in abusive relationships.
Joana Deladem Yabani’s lifeless body was discovered on February 27, near the Rehabilitation and Disability Centre on the KNUST campus. Preliminary police investigations implicated her alleged boyfriend, Daniel Tuffour, who has since been arrested and is currently standing trial for her death.
Joana is survived by her parents and eight siblings.
